December 27, 2018

The water gets a wee bit chilly this time of year, so start getting yourself mentally (and physically?) prepared for Kirkland's annual 'Polar Plunge' at Marina Park. The unofficial run into Lake Washington begins at 1 pm sharp on New Year's Day, so be sure to arrive early to peel off your layers of clothes and warm yourself by the bonfires. Water shoes help a lot. So does having a friend waiting on shore with a warm towel! Current lake temp is 50 degrees as I write this. No problem, right? Be adventurous! I promise the cold will zip through your body like a lightning bolt, and leave you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle 2019. Happy New Year, Kirkland friends!

November 14, 2018

Tis the season to start queuing up lots of events! I'm feeling festive because a bunch of you are NOT kidding around and have already put your holiday lights up. How did you get so sneaky? And Sirius Radio has presumptively made my #2 station setting 'holiday songs?!' Way to fire up the eggnog early. Here we go..chronological-like...

THIS Friday Nov 16th 6-9pm is the Downtown Kirkland Wine Walk. It starts at The Heathman Hotel and then you walk around town to various tasting locations at our participating local businesses. Please leave your under 21 year olds and furry friends (the 4-legged type) at home. Tickets can be purchased online for $25 or $30 at the door. Or you can sign up here to work a 2 hour shift and get your tickets to participate for free! Don't drink too much wine because you'll need to get up bright and early SATurday....

Saturday Nov 17th 9-12it's time to decorate downtown Kirkland for the holidays. This is a really fun community effort. Dress warmly, bring your gloves (and a ladder if you have one!) to light up the poles with holiday sparkle. Meet at the back room on the main floor of Merrill Gardens at 8:45am for some breakfast goodies and then you'll be given a job and let loose on the town. Lunch is at 12:30. Sign up here- the more the merrier. Questions? TExt 425-765-5576 or 253-444-8951

Sunday Nov 18th 9am-12, 186th Annual Hopelink Turkey Trot- fun starts at 8 (packet pickup etc)and the run begins at 9. You and 1500 of your new best friends will start moving at Marina Park in whatever way you see fit around this 5K course that hugs the shore of Lake WA. Bring your dog, your kids, your Grandma, all are welcome. Register ahead of time here or hope for the best on run day. $40 per adult and don't forget to donate to this great cause. The weather forecast is cooperating for the moment!

Last week of Nov- Santa's Mailbox goes up right in the center of downtown Kirkland after Thanksgiving. Don't forget to send in your requests to the big guy at the North Pole. The Kirkland Downtown Association brings back Santa's mailbox to surprise and delight children this season. Santa's mailbox will be located on the corner of Lake St & Kirkland Ave (by Bank of America). Santa and his elves ensure that every child gets a letter back. Be sure to include a return address. Special thanks to Kirkland Kenworth for helping to support this project. Want more info, or interested in volunteering? Contact barbiey@kirklanddowntown.org.

Sat Dec 1st 3-6pm @ Marina Park, Winterfest. Get yourself ready for our tree lighting, llamas (yes, llamas!), food trucks, a sledding hill, bonfires and entertainment all to be followed up with Santa photos and an ugly sweater after party at Wilde Rover. Volunteer here if you'd like to help! You could be a 'llama photo assistant,' because dreams do come true.

Friday Dec 7th 5-6:30pm, Google Lights- come sip on cocoa and chow on cookies while Google's campus right on the Cross Kirkland Corridor puts on a display of 25,000 choreographed lights to music. Carolers and a photobooth and Blitz from the Seahawks will be there too. Don't forget to bring an unwrapped toy to donate.

Thank you also to all of the magical sponsors that make all of these fun Kirkland events possible! Looking forward to a festive season together. ~j

September 14, 2018

Not my favorite week. Just heard that Shamiana in Houghton is closing. Sunday will be their last day.

And you may have heard that we lost a number of local businesses in a 2 Alarm fire that started in the wee hours of Weds morning on NE 85th St and 128th Ave NE. Local coverage of the event can be found here and here. I snapped a few photos the day after, and was surprised they already had heavy equipment out there (helping investigation? or taking building down?) It smelled like a giant BBQ. :-(

The cause of the fire is still being investigated. Many locals frequent these shops and are rallying together to find ways to support the devastating impact this blaze has caused on the business owners. There's already a Go Fund Me for Greenline Organics Juice Bar.

September 07, 2018

Parents---Oy! My relaxing summertime program needs to be put on the back burner so I can jolt myself into the back to school routine. Asap. My kids were much more enjoyable this year than usual so it's a bit sad to get back to serious. I have also been loving seeing friend's obligatory back-to-school photos on Facebook and Instagram so I can live in comfort knowing that my kids aren't the only ones whose idea of dressing up for the first day of school is wearing a hoodie sweatshirt.

I know you are all busy signing emergency contact forms and master planning your carpools, but I am going to put a few more kid-friendly to-do's on your radar.

Strong Against Cancerat George's-108 Kirkland Ave- Pop in for dinner Monday Sept 10th from 5-9pm you can help raise money for the fight against childhood cancer. George's will donate a portion of all sales to Strong Against Cancer and Kirkland company, Adaptiva, will match 100% of the donation. Can't beat that- mom doesn't have to cook and it's a good cause supporting kids- everyone wins! Mark your calendar.

<--Fred Lajvardi (the inspirational teacher in the book)Kirkland Reads, Creating Conversations is a program happening in Kirkland this fall. It's designed to bring people together to talk about "Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream," by Joshua Davis. You can find it as a book, movie or documentary. Expect to see discussions, movie nights, robotic events and talks with the teacher (above) who inspired the kids in the book. Here is the calendar of events. This could be a great way for you and your kids to explore themes of ingenuity, perseverance and collaboration. And we all could use a little of that. I'm actually pretty excited my kids are waking up before noon these days. But anyway..

This program is sponsored by KirklandSafe and is supported by 4 Culture, the City of Kirkland, Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission, King County Library System, LWHS Robotics Club, The Book Tree, Friends of the Kirkland Library, Simple Concepts Consulting and Allegro Design.

September 03, 2018

Sometimes I read these press releases and think to myself, "we live in such a cool place." Here's one example of what I'm talking about. Crossing Kirkland is like a giant city-wide block party on our beloved Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC) on Saturday Sept 8th from 11am-4pm. 1500 fun-seekers attended last year, and with the creativity planned for this year it's sure to even more popular in 2018. Walk, bike or take a city-provided shuttles from station to station. The event will stretch on the trail from Google to Gold's Gym.

Here's a list of the awesomeness:

food trucks

live music

scavenger hunt

bouncy house

climbing wall

games/crafts

community organizations

selfie-hunt competition

prizes from local businesses (hello cookies, ice cream and beer!)

community mural on the trail painted by event-goers under guidance of a local artist

"The Kirkies"- a contest to see who can create the most original (non-motorized)way of traversing the CKC. Use your imagination! Check out some ideas and register for the Kirkies competition here.

Are you wishing you could volunteer for this cool event? YOu're in luck.

Special thanks to: volunteer neighbors, in-kind donations from local businesses, and financial support from the Google, City of Kirkland, 4Culture, and McLeod Autobody.

July 17, 2018

August 10-12 is Kirkland Summerfest this year and there are many volunteer shifts available if you're feeling that warm fuzzy community service feeling coming on. 21+ will receive a 'thank you' drink ticket and kids 14 and under can volunteer with someone 18+ (hellooo community service hours) Don't be shy- get out there and be a part of it. Contact haesuepark@hotmail.com w/any questions. Sign up instructions found here.

July 08, 2018

I try to avoid my office on sunny days but the sunny days keep on coming! I HEART summer. I thought you'd appreciate my summer (so far)in photos summary. But not until I let you know about the "Beat the Heat Fashion Show" Kirkland Chamber business luncheon happening on July 12th from 11:30-1:30at the Woodmark Hotel. $35 ahead of time or $40 at the door. Register here. You'll be admiring styles by local businesses such as Via Lago, Seattle Thread Company, Purpose, Essentials on Park Lane, Serendipity and more (and some Mermaid hair extentions, of course!)

After that, you'll be ready for Kirkland Uncorked July 13 (2-8pm), 14th (11a-8p), and the 15th (11a-6p). Tickets are $25 (21 and older please) and you can purchase here ahead of time. Food trucks, tasting gardens (beer, wine, cocktails) and a street market all culminates in a fun and festive atmosphere down in Marina Park. Best burger competition, boat show and a cover dog model search for CityDog Magazine (I couldn't make this stuff up?).

4th of July Parade & Fireworks- nothing is better than the 4th of July in downtown Kirkland. "Celebrate Kirkland, United We Stand" is this year's theme. The schedule goes something like this: children's decorating event starts at 10am in the Marina Park Pavilion. The kids' parade starts 11:30 at Market and Central and the old fashioned parade begins at 12. Grab a bite to eat and then roll back down for music in the park is at 5.

Fireworks begin about 10:15 pm. Leave your dog, personal fireworks, alcohol and vehicle at home. DO BRING your patience for large crowds, your bike/scooter/bus pass, a flashlight and your love of country and appreciation for all things patriotic. Maybe even a device to listen to the STAR 101.5's live musical synchronization to the firework display. The boat launch will be closed. I sometimes cry when I hear the national anthem or watch fireworks, so there's another weird quirk you know about me.

Kirkland Art Walk- Friday July 13th 5-8pm. Galleries and businesses with a pink balloon are an easy way to spot who is participating. Enjoy local art and music around downtown Kirkland.

SeaFair Weekend- Aug 3-5th. Hydroplane races, war planes, stunt planes, Blue Angels soaring over your head and inexperienced drunk boaters everywhere- this is notoriously a weekend to be remembered. Someone always loses a foot. Did I say that outloud? Stay safe out there people- fun times. Who wouldn't want a front row seat?

June 03, 2018

This week on June 6th at 2pm we'll kick off Kirkland's first Wednesday Market of the season!

Head down to Marina Park (it's supposed to be sunny and 75 degrees!) and enjoy the live music, flowers, local fruits/vegetables, crafts and more. This year there will be a theme each week. Here's the schedule:

February 07, 2018

Valentine dates always pair well with wine. Lucky for you, there is a downtown Kirkland Wine Walk on Fri 2/16 and you can buy tickets here. Start at the Heathman at 5 and get going on your romantic (or lonely) adventure! Sip while you shop around town. Or if you prefer pouring, there's a volunteer job for you too.